The only part I’m skeptical about is the qualia argument. If it’s supposed to be ineffable, why be sure it doesn’t have it? If it’s effable after all, then we can be more specific: for example, we might want words to be associated with abstract representations of sensory experience, which can be used for things like imagination, composition with other concepts, or top-down control.
My thinking was that since everything it knows is something that was expressed in words, and qualia are thought to not be expressed fully in words, then qualia aren’t part of what it knows. However, I know I’m on shaky ground whenever I talk about qualia. I agree that one can’t be sure it doesn’t have qualia, but it seems to me more like a method for tricking people into thinking it has qualia than something that actually does.
Nice analysis!
The only part I’m skeptical about is the qualia argument. If it’s supposed to be ineffable, why be sure it doesn’t have it? If it’s effable after all, then we can be more specific: for example, we might want words to be associated with abstract representations of sensory experience, which can be used for things like imagination, composition with other concepts, or top-down control.
My thinking was that since everything it knows is something that was expressed in words, and qualia are thought to not be expressed fully in words, then qualia aren’t part of what it knows. However, I know I’m on shaky ground whenever I talk about qualia. I agree that one can’t be sure it doesn’t have qualia, but it seems to me more like a method for tricking people into thinking it has qualia than something that actually does.